Pendleton hunter attacked by wounded bear

[SecularMotion]

A Pendleton hunter was attacked by a black bear Sunday evening in the Starkey Unit near La Grande.

Shane Thomas was by himself at Tony Vey Meadows about six miles up Forest Road 5160, said Sgt. Nick Pallis with the Union County Sheriff’s Office. Thomas told officers he had shot the bear with his rifle and had walked into a thicket to retrieve the animal.

Except the bear wasn’t dead. It attacked Thomas, who was unable to reach for his pistol and forced to fight back by kicking and yelling. Thomas was able to get away and drive himself back to the highway despite puncture wounds to his legs and backside, Pallis said.

Thomas texted his mother about what happened, and she called 9-1-1. Pallis said he paged Search and Rescue, though before they could respond his deputy actually passed Thomas on Highway 244. Thomas followed medics back to Grande Ronde Hospital in La Grande, where Pallis said he was treated and released.

http://www.eastoregonian.com/eo/local-news/20160524/pendleton-hunter-attacked-by-wounded-bear